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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23373739">Tenth Time's The Charm</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janusa/pseuds/Janusa'>Janusa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Idris vs Edom [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Sports, Don't copy to another site, Don't need to read other parts to understand, First Kiss, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Shadowhunters Bingo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:22:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,460</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23373739</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janusa/pseuds/Janusa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They are in the changing room when Raphael asks him. “So, are you gonna go for it… again?”</p><p>Magnus purses his lips, he knows Raphael means Alec. Magnus has asked him out a total of nine times and is no exaggeration because he keeps a damn good track of everything related to Alexander Lightwood. </p><p>Part of Shadowhunters Bingo.<br/><b>Square:</b> Sports</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Idris vs Edom [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681105</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>116</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tenth Time's The Charm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic is in the universe of a series I'm just starting, you don't need to read the first one to understand this. Although if you like Sebastian/Jonathan then you have to.</p><p>You can find me on Tumblr as @janusa and Twitter as @janusairn and say hi<br/>if live-tweeting is your thing you can use #janusa</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The referee’s whistle marks the end of the match. Edom won by the minimal and Magnus is feeling pretty great.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They pass to the usual cordial handshake at the end of the match and if his touch lingers more than is customary when he gets to Alec, well it’s a surprise to anyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They are in the changing room when Raphael asks him. “So, are you gonna go for it… again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus purses his lips, he knows Raphael means Alec. Magnus has asked him out a total of nine times and is no exaggeration because he keeps a damn good track of everything related to Alexander Lightwood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not that Magnus is smitten, it’s just that… ok, maybe he’s a little smitten. Probably since the moment biscuit had introduced Isabelle and Alec in that party almost a year ago as the siblings of her boyfriend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dear Isabelle is a delight herself; incredibly intelligent and beautiful, Magnus might have set his eyes on her if Alec hadn’t been there but he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembers clearly his first impression of him; handsome but uptight and arrogant, which only made the brat in Magnus want to tease him and made of it the goal of his night. It totally backfired him, Alec was not, indeed, a social butterfly but what Magnus mistook with arrogance was simply discomfort that he tried to handle by isolating. He didn’t fluster at Magnus terrible (and not subtle at all) innuendos, he blushed but mostly answered them with a roll of eyes or a snort. His comebacks were witty and his comments well thought. Their similar competitive spirits at pool didn’t help either or it did. It all depends on how you see it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Magnus left that party with a crush comparable to the one he had on Etta from High School.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had proceeded to meet Alec on multiple occasions; all of them surrounded by their friends or in the matches against Idris. It turned out Alec was also in the volleyball team of his university and, like Magnus, he was the captain although they played different positions and Magnus made sure of making as many innuendos possible with that information.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Magnus smiles or tries to. “You know, tenth time is the charm.” And what Magnus doesn’t understand is why Alec always says no whenever he asks him out if it’s obvious he likes him too or maybe Magnus is being delusional and Alec’s rejections mean he doesn’t want anything romantic with him. “Or maybe I should just leave it, I don’t want to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>that guy</span>
  </em>
  <span> that keeps pushing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Raphael arches an eyebrow. “You know I couldn’t care less for your love life but is obvious Lightwood is into you, he’s pretty much the human version of the heart eyes emoji when you’re around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is he?” asks Magnus with a smile spreading through his face. He knows Alec pays attention to him but so does a lot of people, Magnus’ personality and appearance stand out but if Raphael is saying this it must be true until a certain degree, he’d never lie to Magnus just for his sake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Focus!” reprimands him Raphael. “As I was saying, Lightwood obviously likes you so, maybe you should ask him what’s going on and save us all of us your moping.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I don’t mope!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you definitely stalk him on </span>
  <em>
    <span>Twitter </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Instagram</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Magnus can’t refute that, although </span>
  <em>
    <span>stalking </span>
  </em>
  <span>is a bit excessive.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus is not nervous, his hands are not sweating and he’s perfectly cool. That’s the mantra he keeps repeating until he’s in front of Alec. He’s sat on a bench, getting his things in his duffel bag, Magnus waits for him to notice him. “Hey, good game.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Alec says with a crooked smile. “and congratulations, but we’ll beat you to it next time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec nods. “For sure, you have my word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t dare to doubt the word of Idris’ captain.” Magnus knows all this exchange is being way more flirtatious than it needs to be but it’s so easy to fall in this kind of playful banters when he’s with Alec. Though, as Raphael had said; he needs to focus or he’ll never have more than these moments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Alexander, I was wondering if you have a moment to talk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The change in Alec’s body language is clear and immediate but he agrees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go somewhere else.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They go to the botanic garden, it’s open for the public but is mostly just botany or biology students who come in here, they sit on one of the benches, Alec is as tense if not more than five minutes ago when Magnus had asked him to talk. He thinks wise to clarify this situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So first of all, don’t worry, I’m not cornering you to ask you on a date again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That doesn’t ease Alec as he had hoped if anything it makes him wary. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, what do you want to talk about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, please tell me if I’m totally wrong and being arrogant but you like me, Alexander.” Magnus stands up, he needs to move; his hands, the four steps between the bench and the magnolia tree, anything. “and yet, you keep rejecting every advance I try to make, so I guess that I lied; I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>asking you out but only if you tell me there’s a chance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec opens and closes his mouth but stays silent, he’s prickling his hands, Magnus wants to take his hands in his to stop him from hurting himself. There’s more to Alec than meets the eye, not all of it pretty, he’s aware of that but he wants to have the chance to know him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alec, just tell me what you want. Do you want to be friends? Yes, or do you want something else? I’d love to but talk to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec inhales and exhales deeply before looking at Magnus in the eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just… it hasn’t been long since I came out” Alec makes a pause, he’s not looking at Magnus anymore but some point behind his head. “and I spent so long repressing myself that now I don’t know how not to do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec stands up and this time he’s eye to eye with Magnus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that I don’t like you, because I do, God, you have no idea how much but a part of me still wants to hide and I always thought it would maybe be my parents or my siblings who wouldn’t accept me but they have been great.” Alec’s voice wavers in the last part. “It’s me who </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I can’t stop hiding. I can’t accept myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few tears are running down Alec’s face, Magnus takes a step closet into Alec’s space and brushes the hair off his forehead, he says nothing, Alec’s not done. “That’s why I keep saying no even though I want to say yes. You deserve more, more than I can give you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alexander, self-love and self-acceptance are not things you get from one day to the other. They require work, time and sometimes the support of others, either family, friends or a specialist.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus cradles Alec’s face between his hands and he closes his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our stories may be different but I’ve felt what you’re feeling and you’ll get through it, eventually. Now, regarding what you said about us. If you are rejecting me because </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t feel ready, I can understand it but if you’re doing it because you think </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>deserve more, please don’t. I think is adorable you think so highly of me but it’s on </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>to decide what I deserve and what I don’t, and I think we deserve each other Alexander.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Magnus hasn’t gotten the chance to inhale air after that speech and he has Alec’s lips on his. But who would need to breathe when Alexander Lightwood is kissing you anyway?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alec is pulling him in by the neck and their kiss is uncoordinated and messy but that’s how first kisses are. It’s not about how you feel them in your body but how you feel them in your heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They only break the kiss to breathe, Alec rests his forehead in Magnus’. He feels trapped under the weight of his sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I also think we deserve each other or I want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    
  </span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How did it go with Lightwood?” asks Raphael on Thursday after practice when they are walking to the parking lot. His friend acts aloof but Magnus knows he genuinely cares.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The horn of a car sounds and Alec waves from inside his jeep. Magnus smiles, he knows is too soon to call this feeling love but it’s very close to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did I tell you? Tenth time’s the charm.”</span>
</p>
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